Firebombing of Dresden

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Transcript of Firebombing of Dresden

Significance- At the Yalta conference, the Allies decided that they would strategically bomb German cities containing war production and manufacturing in order to bring the German war machine crashing down

-Dresden was a hospital city for wounded soldiers. Not one military unit, and not one anti-aircraft battery was deployed in this city.

-One of the official reasons given for the attack was that by destroying Dresden, a major communication center, they could interfere with the Nazis' ability to convey messages

-The actual bombing exceeded the destruction necessary to hamper German communication causing others to believe that it was really an attempt to punish the Germans for their compliance and for the Blitz attacks in England

- No matter the reason behind it, strategic or not, this specific bombing always brings about the question "Was it justified?"

Firebombing of DresdenFebruary 13th - February 14th 1945 TimelineAllies and AxisAllies: British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) Axis: Germany

What Happened? - EventsImpactGermany:Goebbels, the evil genius that he was, decided to use the burning of thousands of citizens as yet another propaganda ploy. The newspapers circulated inflated casualty numbers accompanied by images of charred children and decimated buildings. Goebbels used the bombings in a last ditch effort to boost public morale. The newspapers attempted to shock citizens with depictions of these "Allied horrors" and "Terror bombings". Yet at the same time men, women and children were being shot, starved to death, and beaten within German concentration camps.

Neutral Countries:While this bombing did not sway countries on their view of the Nazis it did affect how the Allies were perceived. They could no longer claim complete moral superiority. The fire bombing of Dresden did not result in the greatest number of deaths, but it did involve the killing of thousands of refugees and citizens, not the destruction of an invaluable military base.

Doran-a-thesisMapWhat Happened?German PeopleGerman people were forced to find shelter in underground basements, although there was little protection.those injured included refugees, injured soldiers, women and childrenUnderground areas heated up like ovens (1800 degrees)Bombings -> Fire storms -> build up of carbon monoxide -> people could not escape the basements and died due to suffocationPeople outside -> stripped of clothes due to wind -> feet burned in the tar caused by melted roads"There were people there who in their desperate need had clawed themselves onto the metal fence. They were burnt and charred; they were not only adults, there were children"ReviewWhy Dresden?http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/history/ww2clips/sounds/air_raidDresden was a camp set up in eastern Germany. It was mainly used to house Nazi soldiers injured and refugees during the war In October of 1944, Dresden was reported as a potential bombing target. People were unsure why Dresden was a chosen target because: (a) it was an old city, (b) had not been touched by air raids before and (c) it was left undefended. HOWEVER, it was used by Nazi soldiers as a transport joint (strategic target)Churchill believed that by bombing it, Soviets advancement on Germany would speed up.Would also serve as a retaliation for the German Blitz on LondonBombing Dresden might help the Russian war effort.Retaliation for the Blitz and bombing of WarsawDresdenWhat Happened? Events cont.Interesting FactsThe Soviets also made propaganda use of the Dresden bombing in the early years of the Cold War to alienate the East Germans from the Americans and British.SS Guards were brought in to burn bodies1477.7 tons of High Explosive bombs1181.6 tons of Incendiary bombs "You guys burnt the place down, turned it into a single column of flame. More people died there in the firestorm, in that one big flame, than died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined." --Kurt Vonnegut, JrWorks Cited10:09PM1:22AM10:30AM2/13/1945 10:09 p.mThe first bomb was dropped. The attack lasted 24 minutes, leaving the inner city a raging sea of fire. 2/14/1945 1:22 a.mThe second raid came with no warning. Twice as many bombers returned Goal was to spread the raging firestorm into the Großer Garten.

2/14/1945 10:30a.mOn the morning of February 14, the last raid swept over the city. Lasted 38 minutes. "Allied Bombing of Germany during the Second World War." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 10 Sept. 2009. Web. 21 May 2014.

BBC News. BBC, 14 Feb. 1945. Web. 20 May 2014.

"The Bombing of Dresden." The Bombing of Dresden. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.

HELLOThree significant bombingsBetween US + Britain vs GermanyDresden held many refugees who were fleeing the Red ArmyDresden did not have any military forces because the Nazis were at BerlinUndefended cityThe allies could no longer claim complete moral superiority in the war.February 13th 1945: United States Eighth Air ForceBritain's Bomber Command dispatched several raidsPlanned a total of three major bombingsFirst Bombing: February 13thFirst group: British Avro Lancaster Bombers, No.5Known as the PathfindersSecond group: De Havilland Mosquitoes1000 lb. target indicatorsThird group: main bombing force254 Lancasters dropped 500 tons of high explosives and 375 tons of incendiary bombsMain bombing attack was called "Plate Rock"Second Bombing: Februrary 14thThree hours later 529 Lancaster bombing planesLeft the city burning throughout the whole nightAreas of destruction: Großer Garten and HauptbahnhofMost destructive bombing and left city in flamesThird Bombing: February 14thLater that day, the Allies planned to bomb synthetic oil plants in MagdeburgThen bombed Dresden, again Dropped H2X scatter bombs over the southeastern suburban areasThe firebombing and subsequent decimation of thousands of German civilians and refugees residing in Dresden challenged the concept of a justifiable war, forcing the world to look at the Allies in a new light. While some historians claim the destruction to be for strategic purposes, others see it as an Allied attempt for revenge on the German people, in an effort to crush their already defeated morale. The dropping of incendiary bombs led to the destruction of the once glorified city as the civilians watched in horror. The Allies continued to plague the city with explosives, creating a massive firestorm that raged rampant throughout Dresden, resulting wreckage of 16,000 acres of the city center alone. The Allied bombers left the city with charred bodies, melted streets and buildings turned to dust. This attack sparked controversy regarding it relevance to the downfall of the Nazi party.